After the Death of Edward Grayson
by little-borgia
Summary: One shot (Maybe more) on Conrad and Victoria dealing with Edward's death.
1. Chapter 1

Victoria was drinking her tea when Conrad stumbled into the Manor. She had opened her mouth to insult him and send him packing but stopped when she saw him. He was in autopilot, his gaze not focusing on anything. His nose was pink and his mouth was slightly ajar. She called his name, but he didn't seem to hear her. She jumped up, hurrying to his side.

"Conrad? What is it? Are you alright?" Her questions were greeted by silence, only worrying her more. She placed her hand on his chest.

"My father is dead." Conrad finally said. She could hear the tremors in his voice. His eyes started to fill with tears as he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before walking up the stairs.

She waited until she heard his bedroom door close before she gasped. She was struggling to catch her breath in the room the suddenly seemed to spin. The tears fell freely, making her hair stick to the side of the face. She didn't bother trying to fix anything.

Growing up without a father, Victoria had immediately taken to Edward. Conrad had spent his whole life trying to make his father proud and while Victoria earned approval from Edward, Conrad had always been jealous. He hated that in his fathers eyes, the best thing Conrad had ever done was convince Victoria to marry him. And once the marriage crumbled, Conrad grew bitter over the situation.

Victoria braced herself as she made her way towards Conrad's room. Despite their history together, she had never seen Conrad the way he looked earlier. If that was his attempt at maintaining control she shuddered to think of how he would react now.

She found him sitting on the foot of the bed with his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Conrad." She whispered. She knelt down in front of him, running a hand through his hair. He grunted but didn't say anything. He didn't even look her direction.

Conrad was seething mad but didn't fully understand why. He had longed for his wife's attention but was now infuriated by it. He was supposed to take care of Victoria and the opposite was happening. He couldn't control his temper enough to stop himself. Instead, he jumped up and grabbed Victoria by her hair, pushing her until her back crashed into the wall. She gasped, but made no attempt to break free.

"The only thing my father ever admired about me was you. And I couldn't even do that properly," he chuckled.

Although it hurt how tightly he pulled her hair, Victoria was accepting of his condition. She was guilty of slapping him in the heat of the moment and was prepared to face his fury, but she doubted that it would go that far. She knew that he just needed to let off some steam. More than anything she just wanted to be there for him; to fix him.

"Conrad-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He yelled, lifting his hand towards her throat. He caught a glimpse of the fear in her eyes and all the anger faded.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed over and over as he collapsed onto the floor. Instinctively, she sat down next to him, cradling him in her arms.

"I should have tried harder for us. He didn't want us to split up."

" I'm right here. I'm still here." She rocked him gently as she repeated it over and over, hoping her declaration would sink in.


	2. Chapter 2

Conrad pounced on Victoria so quickly that she didn't even get a gasp out before his lips were on hers. He breathed in her gasp and it only added to his urgency.

He pinned her on the hardwood floor. Although it was uncomfortable, Victoria didn't say a word. He ripped the top of her dress, exposing her bra. Her beloved pearls were caught in the crossfire, rolling all over the floor. Still Conrad didn't stop. He pushed her dress up at the bottom and ripped her underwear. Victoria watched as the pieces of black lace fell to the floor. But still she said nothing. She knew she should feel scared. But she wasn't scared. She thought she should have felt aroused at his intensity. This was better than her fantasies about Conrad had ever been. And yet, he looked so lost, so desperate that all she felt was sorry for him.

He yanked on her hair as he plowed into her. It wasn't painful enough to elicit a yelp or cry; it wasn't pleasurable enough for her to enjoy her or Conrad spoke. Neither moaned. There were no romantic kisses, no foreplay. She arched her back, letting him go deeper and allowing herself to tilt her head and calm her screaming scalp.

Before long she could feel him hit his peak. He looked at her for a brief second before scooping her into a silent embrace. He buried his head in the dark hair that she has pushed to the side of her neck. It was only when he was surrounded by the comfort of his wife's embrace and the smell of her perfume that he let himself go, sobbing uncontrollably into her hair. Still, Victoria didn't say a word. She tightened her embrace with him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him against her neck. He was broken and she was fixing him the only way she knew how.


	3. Chapter 3

The past two days had been torture. Since the night in the bedroom, Conrad had barely noticed Victoria. He barely spoke to her. He barely looked at her. That was what hurt her the most.

She hadn't expected sex to fix all their problems. She knew it was a temporary fix but it meant something to her. But after two days of being shut out, she was realizing that it didn't mean much to anything. Ordinarily, she would throw a fit and demand his attention while refusing to give him any of hers, but today was different. Today was her father in law's funeral. Her stubbornness had reared its head, forcing her to keep her promise of doing anything she could to help Conrad.

She had straightened her hair because Edward had always preferred her hair straight. She doubted Conrad would pick up on it. Many of Victoria and Edward's inside jokes and stories went unnoticed by Conrad. He didn't even know the half of their bond. She let a few tears escape as she got dressed, choosing a black dress and black heels.

She made her way into his bedroom, bracing herself for the worst. She found him tying his tie in front of the mirror.

"You ready?" He said, heading to the door. Victoria nodded quietly, following him out of the room. After withholding sex for so long, Victoria had gotten used to the way Conrad complimented and charmed her. She wasn't used to her appearance going unnoticed. As they made their way to the car she couldn't help big wonder if she had made a mistake by having sex with him. She couldn't decide on an answer, but mistake or not she didn't regret it.

Immediately after the funeral, Charlotte and Daniel returned to their busy lives leaving their parents alone once again.

Victoria braced herself for another silent car ride home.

"It was a beautiful service." She offered. Conrad looked at her, but didn't respond. He hated when people said that. He hated that he had said goodbye to his father. He hated that Victoria looked so good that the entire funeral all he thought about was her. He hadn't known what to say to her after their encounter. He hadn't meant to be so rough with her, but couldn't apologize without her thinking he regretted the entire thing. As a result, he hadn't mentioned it at all. He meant to keep from hurting her, but as a result he hurt her just as badly, maybe even worse.

Unable to handle her silence, Victoria scooped his head in her hands, forcing his lips to meet hers. He lifted her with ease, dropping her on his lap. He grabbed her hips, lifting her up and down faster and faster. Victoria was glad his hands were holding her steady or else she was certain that she would have fallen to the floor. She felt him push her down deeper as he hit his peak. She barely had time to climb off before the driver opened the door. She felt herself blush at what he could have seen had he been a few minutes earlier.

Conrad walked into the door behind Victoria without saying a word.

"I need a drink." Victoria said as she walked into his study. She expected him to go to his room, but when she turned around he was behind her. She offered him the glass but he shook his head. The desire in his eyes made her breathing ragged and he wasn't even touching her yet.

"What's wrong?" He asked, aware of her breathing.

"Nothing."

Conrad slid his hand up her leg and underneath her panties. She could feel the blush spread across her whole body.

"What do you want?" He asked, hoping that she'd beg for it.

"To make you feel better." She said, moving away from him. He couldn't help but wonder if she always swayed her hips that way or if it was for his benefit. Either way, he grabbed her, moving her across the room and dropping her on the couch. He quickly removed her panties, moving down towards the foot of the couch.

"I want to take care of you. I want to make you feel better," she pleaded between breaths.

Conrad moved his lips to her, tasting parts of her he hadn't tasted in ages. Despite being separated for so long, Conrad found the same familiarity with her. She felt like home to him, and the idea that she would give herself to him so willingly only encouraged him more. He continued, kissing and licking until she couldn't take it anymore.

"I should go change," Victoria said, trying half heartedly to fix her hair. Conrad grabbed her wrist.

"Stay with me." She looked at him, unsure how to react. "Please, Victoria."

She sighed, but curled up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and used his other arm to play with her hair. The two sat like that in his study for a long time, neither needing to say a word.


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't surprise Victoria that she woke up alone in Conrad's study. She was touched that he had taken the time to cover her with a blanket. She couldn't help but wonder if that was before or after he had left her.

She made her way towards his room. He sat at the edge of the bed, sipping a glass of brandy. She closed her eyes, bracing herself. She knew he would be in a foul mood.

She entered the room slowly. He looked up, but didn't move.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked, standing in front of him.

The way he rose slowly made her hesitant. She backed up but he followed her, invading her personal space.

"Did you sleep with him?" He asked.

"What?" She said, a laugh starting to build in her throat.

"I know you did. Just admit it."

"Sleep with who?"

"My father! I know, Victoria."

"My God!-"

"Don't lie to me!" He yelled, causing her to jump. She backed away but he followed until she was stuck between Conrad and the wall.

"I got a call today. The lawyers went over my fathers will. Daniel inherited a million dollars. I inherited three million. As did you, with specific instructions for it to remain in an account without my name. I guess he wanted to give you independence. Ironically, Charlotte gets nothing because she chose to rid herself of the Grayson name. Congratulations, you've literally managed to screw your daughter out of the Grayson fortune."

"I never slept with him, Conrad. You're delusional."

"For that much money if he didn't then he wanted to."

"I can't control that, Conrad. All I've ever done is tell Edward the truth instead of kissing his ass like everyone else. I never hid the fact that I hated how many women he was involved with at one time. Why on earth would I want to involve myself in that?"

Her answer seemed to appease him. He took a small step back, but wrapped his arm around the back of her neck, keeping her close.

"The idea of you with anyone else just drives me crazy. I don't-"

"If it drives you so crazy stop creating ridiculous scenarios in your mind. I've been by your side for all of this. I've been understanding of what you're going through. But the accusations you made... I can't do this anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm done." She said, walking out of the room.

Conrad sat on the edge of the bed, letting his fingers run through his hair. He had done terrible things to Victoria in the past, but for the first time, he truly thought he had lost her.


	5. Chapter 5

Thirteen days.

Conrad felt like he was losing his mind. She hadn't run off, but she was gone. She barely ate (at least from what he could see.) She listened to her children but didn't bring much to their conversations. She didn't banter with Conrad. She didn't even acknowledge him since the fight.

They had terrible fights but nothing like this. He knew he crossed the line and he was powerless to stop the words. He knew that she was more upset over his notion that she would betray him so deeply, but also that Victoria had truly thought of Edward as a father.

He was used to her throwing things at him. That he could handle. He had grown accustomed to her lashing out with her words. Although they often made him wince with pain, he could handle that. But silence? He was dumbfounded on what to do.

Victoria wasn't even angry anymore. Hurt? Absolutely. But watching Conrad struggle to cope with his fathers death this week broke her heart. She knew she hadn't made it easier, but it gave her a twisted sense of power to watch him move around the manor, unable to figure out how to get through to her. Ironically, the more she pushed him away the stronger her desire for him became. She was grateful for separate bedrooms when she woke up calling his name after an erotic dream. Originally she chalked it up as a fluke, but night after night she called out to him. It wasn't just the physicality of being with Conrad again, but she was satisfied at the notion that she could fix him. She hadn't just slept with him, she helped him. That's what she wanted back.

She sat on her bed, rereading the same page from her novel. She couldn't keep her focus because her thoughts kept going back to Conrad.

He entered her room without knocking, hoping and expecting her to yell and fight him. She didn't. She stared at him, waiting for words that never came. After a few moments Victoria silently lifted the corner of the blanket on the other side of the bed, inviting him to lay with her.

"Victoria, I'm-" He started. She put a finger to his mouth, silencing him as she climbed on top of him. She held his hands above his head as she left kisses along his cheeks and lips. She straddled him, pressing her hips into him.

Conrad didn't know what to make of his wife's behavior, but he didn't question it. As soon as she let his hands go he was all over her. He grabbed her hair, but kept his hands moving along her skin. He was grateful for the ability to reach out and touch her. She eased herself on top of him, moaning as they found their rhythm. He couldn't take her eyes off of her as she tossed her head back, lost in this moment with him. He held himself back, waiting until he felt her body shudder to find his own release.

Afterwards, they settled into bed, neither breaking the silence. They didn't cuddle, they didn't speak. He wrapped an arm over her when she rolled away from him. Within a few minutes he could tell she had fallen asleep. Only then did he inch closer to her, holding her against him as he drifted to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Talk to me please. I said I was sorry."

"If you think I care about what you've said then you don't know the first thing about me." She snapped.

Conrad sighed. Days after accusing her of sleeping with her father in law, Victoria had given in to him physically. Days after that, she still refused to hear him out, let alone give him a chance to make amends. He was used to the hurtful words and angry actions. This, this was a completely different level. For the first time in their marriage he felt that he had truly broken Victoria's spirit.

"What will it take, Vic? Please. I am begging you."

"A divorce." She said coldly.

"Out of the question. I'm trying to fix things, not end them." She scoffed. She hadn't expected him to comply. She didn't even really want the divorce; she was only lashing out because he had hurt her. And yet his refusal only fueled her fire, making her angrier.

"If you won't set me free from this sham of a marriage the least you could do is leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you."

She crossed her arms as she headed towards the door. Conrad leapt across her bed, jumping in front of the doorway, blocking her from leaving. She refused to let a smile emerge although she was entertained by his antics. She felt a wave of uneasiness come over her. Conrad was the only person who knew exactly what to say or do to make her melt. One look was all it took to make her anger disappear. She silently scolded herself, promising to stay strong.

"You don't have to say anything to me. You can just listen."

"That isn't leaving me alone, Conrad."

"It's called compromise. I want you to talk to me and you want to be left alone. Neither of us gets what we want but it's better than getting nothing at all."

"Is it?" She questioned.

He grabbed her arm and lead her to the edge of her bed. She flailed her arm, breaking free of his grasp but complied. As she sat on the edge of the bed she slowly crossed her legs. She knew his eyes were on her legs. He knew she did that deliberately. It was her version of dangling a prize in front of him. He could look but was unable to touch. For now. He planned on fixing that.

"Victoria, you've got to hear me out. I mean it, absorb the words I am telling you-"

"Would you get on with this? I don't plan on being held captive in my own bedroom all day..."

"I didn't mean it. I was devastated when my father passed. I was angry at myself and angry at him. I spent my whole life trying to make him proud. He wasn't. Not at my academics. Not at my career. Not at my first wedding-"

"I'd hardly consider Stevie an accomplishment." She scuffed. He gave her a small smile. She was giving him something, no matter how small.

"And then I met you. My father didn't care that I was already married. He didn't care about anything. He was proud of me because of you. He couldn't believe that his son had caught the attention of such a beautiful, resourceful, intelligent, artistic woman." He paused unexpectedly.

"And-?" She prompted, unable to pretend her interest wasn't piqued.

"And I blew it. I've blamed you for the crumbling of our marriage-"

"Me?!" She demanded. He held a hand to her, calming her down.

"It was easy to imagine that if you hadn't slept with David Clarke this domino effect wouldn't have occurred. In actuality, it would have. Long before David Clarke even applied to Grayson Global I stopped putting an effort in. I had the girl and moved on to other accomplishments. That's the thing they don't tell you when you're young."

"What is?"

"Getting the girl is the easy part. Keeping the girl, that takes an effort. And I didn't do the work. I stayed late in the office, went on business trips and left you alone with Daniel. I forced you to put him into boarding school against your wishes. I treated you like a shareholder instead of a partner. I didn't care about your thoughts or feelings unless they effected me. I'm guessing David took the time to learn all those things. In a way he knew you better than I do."

"Did." She corrected quietly. He stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she meant.

"He knew me better than you did. A lot has changed since then. I've changed since then. I'm not the same person. Even if he were alive, he wouldn't know the person I am today." The words hurt her, but it was true. She would always hold a place in her heart for David. She loved him. But she knew that she had become someone different from the person she was when he fell in love with her. He probably wouldn't like who she became. She wasn't sure she liked who she became.

"I lashed out at you because of petty jealousy. My father turned our marriage into sibling rivalry. I had to compete with you for his attention and approval. Only it wasn't a competition. It was unanimous. You won, Vic. He loved you. He respected you. When our first marriage ended so did any trace of respect from him. I lashed out because it was easier to assume he loved you for your body than to accept the fact that you are better than me. And that my father knows you better than I do. You let everyone in except for me." His words were choked and he struggled not to cry in front of her.

She slowly stood from the bed, stopping inches from his face.

"It's easy to let people like your father in."

"What makes it so difficult for you to let me in? What is it about me, Victoria?"

"They don't matter. They can't hurt me. I don't have to protect myself around them."

"Why do you have to protect yourself around me?"

"Because you always hurt me," she whispered, a tear escaping the corner of her eye.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N this is the final chapter. Thanks for reading. As always, please review. I love hearing your thoughts & opinions. **

There were many things that Conrad Grayson regretted. None quite as much as he regretted remaining silent after Victoria admitted that she kept her guard up around him because he always hurt her. He was letting the truth sink in but Victoria took it as an acknowledgment of her words. After that, she was unreachable.

He should have known better than to give her a chance to calm down. But after all this time, she was still a mystery. The things that worked in the past didn't work this time and he only made things worse. She didn't want time to cool down, she wanted him to prove her wrong. She wanted him to fight for her. And after he didn't, she wanted out.

"I never thought this is how it would end," he said as he signed his name on the proper pages. The sadness in his voice was outweighed by the honesty of their situation.

Victoria couldn't believe how much she had been hoping for his refusal. She had entertained fantasies of him ripping the divorce papers before doing the same to her clothes; taking her then and there and marking her as his and his alone. She never once thought of him actually signing the divorce papers.

Suddenly the weight of their situation hit her. She was right, he always hurt her. Even when she thought she was breaking free from him, she wound up heartbroken. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest as he pushed the papers in her direction.

Every fiber of her being told her not to sign them, to beg him for another chance. She didn't want to be his ex-wife, she didn't want to be a part of his past. She wanted to be the golden couple, the dynamic duo that always came out on top. But it was clear to her that Conrad didn't, so why was she so invested in their marriage if he wasn't?

Conrad thought he saw hesitation on her face as she signed the papers. He thought he saw her hand shake as she signed away her marriage, her namesake. He thought it was all in his mind, after all she had asked, no insisted on this divorce. He had originally ignored her, waiting for her to calm down. After a while she became more insistent, demanding to be released from this marriage. He finally agreed, wanting her to be happy and accepting the notion that she wouldn't find happiness with him. So why did she seem so sad?

"So, I guess that's it."

"As insistent as you've been, I would have expected you to do cartwheels out of here."

"In a dress?"

"I'd have enjoyed one last glimpse," he joked, raising an eyebrow.

"You constantly surprise me, Conrad." She said with a sad smile. "I would have thought losing your father would have brought us closer together. Instead, it tore us apart. And instead of the divorce creating a rift it seems to have brought us closer."

Conrad didn't say anything. She was right. He suddenly realized that she may have been bluffing about the divorce. Maybe she didn't want him to release her, maybe she didn't want freedom. Maybe she wanted him to fight for her, to prove her wrong. And he hadn't. He had spent so long letting her cool down that she took it as agreement. And now it was too late.

"Thank you for signing this." She said as she grabbed the papers and headed towards out the door.

"Victoria," he called after her. "I should have fought for you."

"Yeah, you should have." She said sadly before walking out of the office and out of his life.


End file.
